"It's a funny feeling to have death at your hands and then see life come back," Rowe said.

"It's an absolute privilege to be involved in a cardiac arrest save," Rowe said, adding he was just doing his job. "It's a special feeling. It's a weird feeling."

"Jack was in the right place at the right time, both times," said James Frey, captain of operations for Medic 9.

Both patients Rowe saved are doing well according to Frey.

Both hearts were in ventricular fibrillation, and were either quivering or in rapid irregular contractions, but not beating in a synchronized pulse.

Rowe applied an electric charge to both patients to restore a steady heart beat and both hearts were successfully defibrillated.

Medic 9 was called to a doctor's office to treat the man who sought treatment of chest pains. On Christmas, the squad was called to an Easton fire station to treat the fireman who also suffered from chest pain.

The fireman went into cardiac arrest in Rowe's presence and was a rare example of a witnessed arrest, according to Rowe.

Emergency squad personnel and the other fireman performed basic CPR while Rowe prepared to defibrillate.

The advanced life support would not have been possible without the basic life support of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) that was done on both victims.

In both cases, Rowe was in radio contact with hospital personnel while en route to Easton Hospital. As Rowe relayed information on blood pressure and cardiac rhythm to thedoctor, the physician advised Rowe on administering medications.

In his 2-1/2-year paramedic career, Rowe has been involved in one other cardiac arrest save in 1991. He received a Christmas card from the former patient during this holiday season.

According to Frey, paramedics are involved in about one cardiac event a week in which the heart is completely stopped, with about 50-100 cardiac arrests a year.

Saving someone from cardiac arrest is so rare because, according to Rowe, everything must be just right. The patient must be receiving basic life support and the heart must not have been stopped for too long a time.

Rowe serves on medic squads for Valley Ambulance, Medic 7 in Monroe County and Catasauqua. *Parents meeting:The new Scholastic Aptitude Test format will be discussed at 7 p.m. today during a parents meeting at Freedom High School, 3149 Chester Avenue.

The meeting, open to parents and students, will be held in the library.

High school administrators will present information on standardized tests, including the SAT.

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*Water Department: The Bethlehem Water Department will be doing flow changes in the Hanover Farms area at midnight Wednesday.

The water may be slightly discolored for customers west of Schoenersville Road between Industrial Drive and Avenue C.